In the Shape of the Moon
by nariko1
Summary: Carmen begins to realize she has gained a special power. This is my first DotM fic, please read and review. Also... visit my DotM webpage @: http://daughters-of-the-moon.cjb.net
1. Prologue

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Daughters of the Moon or any related things, but I've made up characters for this.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
A ghostly figure was before Carmen Antonio. She pale and silver, illuminated against the rising full moon, appearing like a goddess. Smiling at Carmen, she leaned down and placed her hand on Carmen's shoulder. Tingles spread through Carmen's body and she put her hand on top of the goddess's hand.  
  
Seconds later, Carmen found herself awake in her own room, with an eerie glow casting across the sheets. Her hand was upon her shoulder, but she was alone. Funny, it felt so real.  
  
Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed her window open and the curtains blowing in the breeze. She clearly remembered closing them earlier that night, but she got out of bed to close them any ways. As her hand was pulling the window down, she saw that the moon was exactly the way it was in her dream.  
  
"O Mater Luna, Regina nocis, adiuvo me nunc," the words suddenly stumbled out of her lips in a shaky voice. The girl couldn't recall hearing them before, but it brought a sense of security to her.  
  
Unsure of what to think or do, she fell asleep with much trouble. 


	2. Chapter One

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Daughters of the Moon or any related things, but I've made up characters for this.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Carmen woke up jerked up from her sleep for the fourth time that night. A small voice in her head was telling her something was wrong and to run, but she wasn't sure what.  
  
Stepping out of bed and walking down the hall, she realized she had goose bumps up and down her arm. She had never been afraid in her own house before and she wasn't even positive of what she was scared of.  
  
The floor board creaked as she walked over it and she peered into the twins' room. Luckily, the two were sound asleep. Continuing down the hall, she heard another floor board creak. There was only one board that did that, hadn't she already past it? Turning around, she noticed nobody was there.  
  
"Mia, come out. This isn't funny..." her voice quivered. Silence was all that answered her.  
  
She tip-toed down the stairs and turned into the kitchen. The refrigerator hummed and bluish light crept through the window from fluorescent lights outside. There was an odd feeling that she wasn't in there alone, but she shook the feeling away and poured herself a glass of milk.  
  
The chair filled the room with noise as she pulled it out to sit down. Holding her head in her hands, she wondered how she'd ever get through today's game.  
  
Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of a shoe against the carpet in the next room. She lifted her head and after seeing nothing, she ignored it and set her mind back on hockey.  
  
A cold hand pressed against her shoulder as a triumphant voice said, "Boo!"  
  
Carmen was so shocked she jumped out of the chair, knocked over the person, and screamed all at once. Expecting to find some intruder, she found her sister Mia on the ground rubbing her stomach.  
  
"Wow, you hit hard. Careful about screaming, too, you'll wake up the whole house. I was just trying to surprise you," the thirteen year old said.  
  
"You succeed there, but freaking me out is about way to say it. I'm sorry," Carmen replied while bending down to pick up her younger sister. "Were you following me in the hall upstairs?"  
  
Mia seemed puzzled and answered, "No….. I heard someone down here and tried not to make any noise in case it was some murderer or thief. When I saw you in here, I decided why not surprise you? Why are you down here?"  
  
"Well, I woke up..." she stopped mid-sentence. Would Mia believe that somebody had been in her room, or whatever it was, earlier? "And couldn't fall back to sleep. Mom always says milk helps. Forget about me, go to sleep. I'll go with you."  
  
Carmen let Mia walk up before her, an instinct inside told her to be there for Mia's protection in case an intruder was prowling the house. The same instinct made her make sure that Mia's window was locked, she was safely in bed, and the door was closed. She didn't care that Mia thought she acted like an old granny, but it definitely wasn't safe in the house. 


	3. Chapter Two

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Daughters of the Moon or any related things, but I've made up some characters for this.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Two hours later, Carmen headed for school on the bus. She felt like she was going to fall asleep in her seat and tried everything just to stay awake. Feeling guilty, she let a feeble old lady have her seat.  
  
As Carmen was grasping onto the hanging strip of cloth attached to the ceiling, the lady looked at her seriously and said, "You're very troubled, aren't you?"  
  
How could she tell? Did she look like she had no sleep? "Don't worry about me, I'm fine," Carmen stated cheerfully.  
  
"I can see right through you. The way out of a problem is sometimes the way in," and with that the lady stepped off the bus.  
  
"The way out is the way in, the way out is the way in," she whispered over to herself, as if saying it would give her a meaning. Actually knowing the problem may help to find the solution.  
  
On the next stop, five girls from La Brea, like Carmen, stepped on. Two had black hair, one had blond, one had brunette, and the last one had a funky dyed red. She had seen them in the halls, but they must've been a year ahead of her in school.  
  
A sudden wave of energy hit her head, strong enough to make her jerk to the side. An odd sensation pierced through her mind, like something was rummaging its way through. Pain zipped through the back of her head and suddenly the feeling was gone. Impossible, nothing could go through your mind. . .  
  
Before she knew it, the municipal bus had stopped at school and she stepped off. The five girls where in front of her in the line for the metal detectors and the red-head kept taking little glances at her. What would somebody want with her?  
  
"Hey!" somebody called and jokingly punched Carmen's shoulder from behind. It was Mackenzie, of the La Brea's girl hockey team offence players and one of Carmen's friends. She was tall, with a perfect tan and wavy brunette hair and pretty popular when it came to guys, but tough on the rink. "You up for tonight's game? I'm about as ready as I can get. I have my lucky socks on."  
  
"Not really, I kept waking up last night. I'll probably fall asleep in school."  
  
"Move ahead, girls," a guard said roughly and pulled their bags onto the detectors. "Class starts in eight minutes and I have over six hundred more people to check."  
  
The two girls picked up their bags and Mackenzie just glared at the guards. "Sorry," Carmen apologized and turned to Mackenzie. "I'll see you then, I guess."  
  
"See ya, 'round!" Mackenzie replied and turned down another hall.  
  
Carmen began to ponder again on the elderly lady's message. The way out is the way in... Get into a problem to get out? That made absolutely no sense, wouldn't the way out be the – what would it be?  
  
She set this thought aside in her mind. There were more important things for the time being, like school and hockey. But she knew that she wouldn't be able to get through either without concentrating on this – which she did a lot. 


	4. Chapter Three

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Daughters of the Moon or any related things, but I've made up some characters for this.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Carmen looked around at the audience, scanning for her mom, Mia, and Cara. They weren't there and hadn't been during the whole first two periods ... Weird, they usually come to the games. Couldn't let that interfere... La Brea needed points, zip to zip, and it was the last period.  
  
The referee held up the puck and two players gathered around him. The rest of them lowered down, sticks ready like swords of revolutionary war heroes. He dropped the puck and several lunged for it. Mackenzie ducked in and whacked the ball into the air towards Carmen.  
  
She stuck her hand up and let it bounce down, then hit it towards 25 on La Brea. 25 went to drop pass it, but 16 of the other team got to it first. The crowd moaned in harmony.  
  
Carmen and 33 of La Brea rushed to crush 16 into the wall. They pinned her there until one of them managed to kick out the puck. Player 20 whizzed by to get it as 17 of the opposing team hooked her leg and tripped her. While she was down, 17 pushed her aside with her foot and whacked her with her stick before getting the open puck.  
  
"EEEEEEEEERRRRRRR!" the horn blasted. Penalty to 17, two minutes in the box for a hook, trip, and roughing it.  
  
This was good, La Brea had a one player advantage. Now there was a greater chance of winning.  
  
Another face off. Everyone glided to the direction of the ref. He picked two other players to start off. He dropped it and the frozen clock began to count down again. Carmen slid towards the chaos where girls where trying to gain a plastic puck. She rammed in and catch sight of it and noticed she was surrounded by players. The only way to get it out was to pass it.  
  
A La Brea player got it, but she couldn't make out the number. Whoever it was, iced it to the other side. Penalty, this time on La Brea.  
  
Then the players of La Brea started to switch. Carmen sighed, when she was beginning to get into the game she had to sit around and watch it. She climbed in and the coach called out her name.  
  
"Miss Antonio, your mom is here to pick you up in the parking lot. Go get changed and meet her out there. Something about a family crisis." 


	5. Chapter Four

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Daughters of the Moon or any related things, but I've made up some characters for this.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Lugging her bag of hockey equipment along her side, Carmen fought against the wind and rain to reach her mom's car. She opened the passenger side door and heard a crying sound from inside.  
  
"What's wrong?" she questioned and stepped in. In the backseat, the twins Mia and Cara were all upset. Cara was actually crying while clutching her right arm. Burying her head in her hands was Mia. With wide eyes Carmen looked at her mom.  
  
"I'm not sure," she explained frantically and began to cautiously move the car. "It happened so fast. This man, only a few year older than you, broke in the house right before we were going to leave for the game at six. He wouldn't leave I think he broke Cara's arm. Mia and I have nothing but bruises, but any ways, I didn't know what to do. I put the twins in the car and speed to a payphone. I called your coach and told you I'd be picking you up. We're going to the hospital now."  
  
"Wow, I thought this would be over something small. What will we do after the hospital?" Carmen asked. At first, she hadn't been sure of what to say.  
  
Her mom sighed slowly and the tone of her voice became even more nervous. "I don't know. And there's more. He wanted to know where you were. Nothing in this world is ever safe anymore. If only your father was alive, he'd know what to do..."  
  
Carmen felt a streak of guilt. That man only wanted her, whoever he was, and he fought her family. And if she had been there, maybe she could of stopped him, or at least had her own arm broken instead of Cara. Poor Cara, or perhaps all of them; they must've been terrified!  
  
Then it all came together at once. The open window... He must've come in that night through the window... And the floorboard creaking, he must've been following me... This was either what it was or just a gigantic coincidence.  
  
The thought of this made Carmen even more frightened to go home. But then again, would she be any safer at the hospital? 


	6. Chapter Five

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Daughters of the Moon or any related things, but I've made up some characters for this.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"Go to them, they'll be waiting for you..." the mysterious goddess softly ordered. She had yet again appeared. "They will explain everything..."  
  
"Carmen... Carmen..." a distant voice called. Suddenly Carmen looked up and was on the chair in the hospital room again. Mia was sitting on her, her head leaned against Carmen's shoulder and her breath caressing against her neck. "You fell asleep," Mia pointed out.  
  
Everything slowly recollected in Carmen's mind. They had been at the hospital, the doctor had just gotten x-ray results of Cara's arm. There hadn't been enough chairs, so Mia was sitting on Carmen, sobbing every now and then against her older sister. Then she noticed everyone was starring at her.  
  
"So..." the doctor looked from Carmen to the x-rays on the wall, he seemed quite peeved. "I think her arm is fractured."  
  
"And that is better than a broken arm," Mrs. Antonio commented, but it was more of a question than a statement.  
  
The doctor tilted his head to the side and nervously shoved his hands into is pockets. "Sometimes better, sometimes worse... Depends on the case. A fracture is when a piece of the bone is chipped out of its place." Carmen felt Mia jump at the thought of that. "She'll have to wear different casts."  
  
"Well," their mother paused. She rummaged through her purse for a quarter. "I guess we'll have to do that. Carmen, go call Marea."  
  
Mia jumped off and stretched, as Carmen walked out the door with the twenty- five cents between two fingers. Marea, the oldest of this family of five at eighteen, was in college in northern California. Carmen was fourteen; and Mia and Cara were thirteen.  
  
Sleepy-eyed, she rode down the elevator and scooted to the payphones in the lobby. "$.25 PER MINUTE - $.75 PER MINUTE LONGDISTANCE" read a small sticker above the coin slot.  
  
"Seventy-five cents a minute!" she moaned. Someone from behind poked her back.  
  
"Hi." It was the red-head from the bus who had been looking at her. In her open hand was fifty cents. "Have these."  
  
"Uhh…. Thanks. Do I know you?" Carmen slowly accepted the coins.  
  
"No, but my friends and I know you," she began to explain. "I'm Serena. If I tried to explain to you, you wouldn't understand. But I can bring you to somebody who will make it all clear."  
  
Carmen paused at a response... Today wasn't exactly the perfect time...  
  
"Don't worry, we'll do it whenever it's best for you," Serena smiled. Did she just read her thoughts? Impossible...  
  
"Serena, I have to make this phone call, you see my sister—"  
  
"Has a fractured arm. A man attacked your family. It's exactly what I have to talk to you—"  
  
"How'd you know?"  
  
"I read... a paper that they, uh, had on the wall. It listed all of the emergencies."  
  
A list? Never heard of it... "I didn't know they had that."  
  
"Well, Carmen, I better let you make your call. Visit my house sometime. I want you to meet my friends. I'm sorry that I just confused you, I probably should've even tried to tell you," she apologized. She swung around her backpack and pull out a paper and pen, which she used to scribble down her address.  
  
Carmen took it, confused of how she even knew her name; she hadn't even told her. "Thank you Serena for the money and your address. I'll stop by sometime, I owe you any ways for this money." Serena wandered over to the door, to where another girl from the bus was leaning against the glass. Then they just left.  
  
That was... sudden, she thought. Carmen looked down at the paper and the back up. Did Serena know how to help her? Or was she the cause of the problem?  
  
This day is getting just getting more and more tiring. Hesitantly, she inserted the coins into the phone and a minute's chat with Marea wasn't enough to take her away from life's worries. 


	7. Chapter Six

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Daughters of the Moon or any related things, but I've made up some characters for this.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
With the address in her hand, Carmen walked down the street to Serena Killingsworth's house. The air still had a heavy, damp feeling from last night's shower and the sidewalks were soaked. The soft sound of her sneakers was the only sound on the sidewalk, it was a Saturday and some people still might've been sleeping in.  
  
She turned down the corner and spotted a small, cozy house. First double- checking the address, she pressed the doorbell and waited patiently at the door.  
  
Serena's head poked out and grinned. "You came." Her hair somewhat seemed wet from a shower in little ringlets and she was dressed in funky, clashing clothes, but it looked neat.  
  
"I'm not too early, am I?" Carmen wondered aloud.  
  
"No," Serena reassured her. She opened the door wider and continued, "Come on in. I have two friends here from a sleepover. The punk-ish one is Jimena and the other one is Tianna." She began to walk towards the kitchen, so Carmen followed her lead. Two girls, most likely Tianna and Jimena, where sitting around the table with hot chocolate.  
  
"Do you like to go to Planet Bang?" Tianna asked and took a sip of her co- coa. Planet Bang was a popular teenage hangout in Los Angeles.  
  
"I'm not allowed much. I don't feel like I'm missing out on much any ways, it's not like I have a boyfriend and I don't like to dance. Sometimes I go with Mackenzie, one of my best friends," Carmen admitted. Then she realized how idiotic that made her look by their expressions.  
  
"Oh," was Tianna's answer. Carmen could already tell that she was into guys, looks, and dancing. "What do you like?"  
  
"I'm on the La Brea girl's hockey team. And I like to draw, make things, and foreign language."  
  
"The hockey team? That's cool. I went to the last game; what number are you?" She was friendly and surprisingly, interested.  
  
"...Number five, center..."  
  
"Center?" Jimena talked for the first time. "Wow. I'm the soccer goalie and Tianna is one of the best players. Catty and Vanessa, some of our friends, our on the team, too. Serena is our number one fan!"  
  
Serena giggled and added to Jimena's comment. "You'd like Catty, she likes art, also."  
  
Carmen wondered if she'd ever get to meet this Catty, she seemed nice.  
  
"We'll introduce her to you some day," Serena said. Was it just coincidence that Carmen was just thinking that? "Want some co-coa?"  
  
"Sure, thanks," Carmen said politely. Serena stepped out of her chair and started to prepare a package.  
  
"Should we start telling now?" Jimena turned her head to Serena, who nodded. She took a deep breath and begin to explain. "A long time ago when-- "  
  
"Actually, let me tell. I'll make it clear, because I know what it's like to be in her place," volunteered Tianna and looked at Serena for permission. Serena glaced at Jimena, who told her to go on. "Do you know the story of Pandora's box?"  
  
"Yes. A box was opened, releasing evil into the world. The last thing to leave was hope," Carmen answered. What would this have to do with anything?  
  
"There's an evil creature who wants to destroy hope, this is the Atrox. The Atrox has hundreds of people following it. That's where we, Vanessa, Serena, Jimena, Catty, me, and now you, come in. We're all sent by the goddess Selene to protect hope and we're—"  
  
A small vibration came from Carmen's pants and she pulled out her two-way pager from her pocket. "Excuse me, but I have to do. My sister sent me a message; my mom wants me home. I'm really sorry but I have to go." I'M COMING was the message she returned to Cara and she gathered her things.  
  
"You listen to your mom?" Jimena laughed. She didn't seem like the type that would.  
  
"Sometimes. Serena, if it's okay with you, I'll come back tomorrow."  
  
"Sure," Serena nodded and followed her out to the door. "Be careful."  
  
"Of what? It's only three blocks away," Carmen blurted out, afterward she wished she had controlled her mouth.  
  
"People. Dogs. Stalkers. Whatever," Serena winked as if she was joking, but Carmen doubted it.  
  
One block away, Carmen saw a dog leashed to a pole in a yard. She smiled to herself, wouldn't it be fun if she was a dog for a day? Life would be different and a whole lot easier.  
  
Without notice, her body began to pulsate. Her legs began to shrink and she found herself on all fours. Her face changed and felt mutilated, while a tail sprung out the back. The colorful world around her changed to black and white. She went to walk forward and her arms moved as well. She looked down at herself.  
  
She was a dog. 


	8. Chapter Seven

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Daughters of the Moon or any related things, but I've made up some characters for this.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Other than the fact her body had transformed into a puppy's, Carmen's mind felt the same; minus the fear, adrenaline, and confusion. What had happened? She had just been walking along, thinking of how easy dogs get it and then this.  
  
Maybe the guy that had been looking for her did it. Or Serena and her friends. They had seemed nice, but had it just been an act?  
  
Then again, it couldn't have been Serena. She had warned her to be careful... Did that mean she knew it'd happen?  
  
A thought struck Carmen hard: she had wished to be a dog. Maybe wishes really do come true. Maybe, she did this to herself.  
  
The thought scared her. She would forever be a dog. A freak. People must've seen her change like that. No pound or family would take her in. If she went home, her family might just think it's a cute puppy.  
  
Carmen laid down on her stomach and tried to cry, but instead a series of whines moaned out. The dog across the street looked at her and said, "Weren't you just a human? What a freak."  
  
Great. Dogs wouldn't even accept her.  
  
If she had wished to make herself a dog, couldn't she just wish to be a human again? She sat up and close her eyes tight, concentrating on being human again. Her body pulsated like it had done ten minutes ago and everything seemed to warp itself.  
  
The dog across the street barked frantically. Carmen kept her eyes closed, afraid that maybe she was still a dog. A door opened and a lady yelled, "Shut up, Bruno! It's just a person sitting on the sidewalk."  
  
When she heard the door slam shut, she looked at herself, joyful to find she was human again. She picked up her things and glanced around for people. Sighing with relief, began to carefully walk down the street. Now that she was normal, she would never be the same. She'd carry the burden of knowing she was a weird mutant.  
  
This made problems double and she thought them over in her head. She could warp into a dog, she was being followed by some guy, Cara's arm was broken... And what had Tianna said?  
  
For the first time, she began to think about it. Tianna had made it seem like Pandora's box was real. She also started to say something about guarding hope. Why would a mutant be some protector?  
  
Trashing the thought, she wondered if she should even go to Serena's house again. She wasn't afraid. Or was she?  
  
Carmen felt a tear slide down her cheek. Everything had become so jumbled in the past few days. Wiping it aside, she wondered what would happen next. Her head moved itself up to the sky, where the moon was still out. Through all this mess, the sight of it gave her a comfort. 


	9. Chapter Eight

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Daughters of the Moon or any related things, but I've made up some characters for this.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Sunday at noon Carmen walked down the same street to the Killingsworth's again. The dog in the yard growled at her, but she just ignored it. This time, she wasn't going to let herself morph into a dog, or anything for that matter.  
  
"Are you Carmen?" a slim blond girl answered the door. Carmen recognized her as Vanessa, one of the most popular girls in school. She dated Michael Saratoga, the singer in a band that played often at Planet Bang. Did this mean that she'd be friends with the most popular girl at La Brea?  
  
"Yeah," Carmen replied as Serena appeared at the door.  
  
"Come on in!" Serena said in her usual friendly tone. As Carmen entered, she saw Tianna and Jimena there as well; plus another girl that must've been the Catty they told her about. "This is Vanessa and this is Catty. Catty and Vanessa, this is Carmen."  
  
They all said hellos and guided Carmen into the kitchen. "Put your bag down anywhere," Serena said. When she saw Carmen trying to politely stick it on the floor, she went on, "Don't worry about making a mess. I practically live in the kitchen, so you're not bothering me."  
  
"My mom has some new outfits. They'd look great on us at Planet Bang tonight," Vanessa stated.  
  
Planet Bang?! Carmen had not been expecting to go there. She was a shy, hockey player who could care less if dancing was banned forever.  
  
Smiles emerged onto the faces of everyone else and Jimena offered that they could use her car to drive down there. Everyone hustled out the door and into the car.  
  
"Oh no," Catty giggled. "There's six of us and we won't all fit."  
  
Tianna turned towards Carmen. "Sorry, guess that you'll have to double buckle since you're the smallest out of us. You can sit with me."  
  
They slid in and Jimena turned on the car, then stomped on the gas peddle. The engine roared and they sped down a twenty mile zone.  
  
Carmen realized that they must be only fifteen, yet Jimena was driving. No, not driving, zooming crazily down the suburbs of Los Angeles.  
  
Serena seemed to sense her fear and tried to make her voice sound soothing. "Don't worry, Jimena's been driving for a few years now. She learned how to do it when she was part of a gang and she hijacked cars a lot."  
  
Jimena smiled. "I'm not part of it anymore. You're putting a real good first impression in her, aren't you?"  
  
Before Carmen knew it, they were stepping out onto a driveway.  
  
Vanessa pulled out some keys and unlocked the door. "My mom's not home, but I don't think she'll mind."  
  
They all walked into the house. It was warm and cozy, plus very modern looking. Vanessa directed them all down a hall and into a room. When she was about to open the door, she looked at Carmen. "Mom's a fashion designer. She puts her stuff in here, so we have a few out fits." She turned the handle and opened the door, they all walked in with awesome grins spreading ear to ear.  
  
A few? Carmen looking in awe at the piles and piles of clothes stacked around the room, filling it entirely up. More like a million.  
  
They all were picking up mini skirts, while Carmen just rummaged for a basic pair of pants. She found a black pair with silver and blue flames licking up the bottom. Below in there was a similar short-sleeved shirt, with blue and black sparkly flames alone the bottom.  
  
Serena was in the bathroom across the hall getting dressed while Catty leaned against the wall with clothes hung off her arm. "What do you have?" Catty asked.  
  
"Pants and a shirt," Carmen answered where holding up the flared pants and matching shirt.  
  
"Those are really cool! Vanessa, do you have anymore like this?" Catty called to Vanessa.  
  
Vanessa walked over and stuck her finger to her lips, thinking. "Some over in the corner. I think there's a yellow, purple, red, pink, and green pair. Mom got a lot of those."  
  
"Awesome," Catty squealed and returned five minutes later, this time with a matching yellow pair.  
  
Serena came out in her own clothes, holding a skirt and halter top. "They didn't fit."  
  
"Check these out. There's more in the corner, too," Catty showed off her outfit.  
  
Soon everyone had a color and it was six o'clock, so they headed down to Planet Bang.  
  
The music inside boomed through their bodies. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad.  
  
Serena, Tianna, Jimena, Vanessa, and Catty began to swing their hips. "Come on, girl," Serena shouted over the music. And began to make Carmen dance. "Don't be so nervous, you don't look bad at all."  
  
With encouragement, Carmen forgot about the other people and began to dance more.  
  
"Do you have a boyfriend?" Vanessa called to her.  
  
"No, I don't really like anyone," Carmen called back. That was a lie, she actually had a crush on a kid for two years now. She was just afraid.  
  
"Too bad you don't like anyone, because that kid over there is looking at you," Vanessa commented.  
  
Carmen thought it'd be some weirdo or a nerd, but she turned over and was shocked. "Oh my gosh..." It was Mark Williams, La Brea's boy hockey goalie. He was nice and a high honors student as well. She had only liked him for two years now...  
  
Tianna swung over. "Are you going to dance with him or not? He's cute."  
  
And Carmen had to admit he was. He wasn't totally muscular, but strong. His hair was short and a golden blond and her wore baggy blue pants and a faded red shirt.  
  
He must've noticed her looking at him, because he was pushing his way through the crowd. As much as she wanted him to, she was nervous that she'd be a fool.  
  
"Hi..." he murmered. He sounded just as nervous as her. "Wanna dance?"  
  
"Okay..." She hesitantly put her arms around him and began to sway to the slow beat.  
  
For twenty minutes she hung onto him maybe, when he said he'd was going to get two Cokes. She was upset, but slightly happy to be with her friends. While she was looking around the crowd for him, Mackenzie ran into her.  
  
"Words going 'round you're dating Mark," she smiled. "You're cute together."  
  
"I just danced," Carmen said modestly.  
  
"You idiot! He's popular and he danced with you. He must like you! I bet he'll ask you out. My little girl is growing up..."  
  
As Carmen opened her mouth to reply, Vanessa was pulling on her shoulder. "Sorry to interrupt you. We have to go."  
  
"Okay. Mackenzie, tell Mark I'm really sorry and not to hold it against him that I had to leave. Bye," Carmen said and started to walk away with Vanessa. "What's wrong?"  
  
Vanessa paused and then muttered, "We'll have to explain later."  
  
Near the entrance, Jimena was holding her forehead. "It's not safe here. We have to go. And it's time we stop playing and get to the point."  
  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
AUTHOR'S NOTE: So this part turned out to be like a love story. I'm not very good at writing this kind of stuff, but I figured since all the others got a boyfriend in their books Carmen should get a guy. I wanted him to have dark hair at first, but then I decided blond since Chris, Michael, Derrik, and Stanton have sort of dark hair. But I wanted it darker than Collin's, so it's more of a gold color. I was going to make him center, but I made him goalie because Carmen's center and opposites attract. See what I mean? Why did I just waste time writing about that? And why'd you waste time reading it? All well.  
  
Another thing: Only one person has reviewed me. Has anyone else even read my stuff? If you're reading this now, stop and review. Please. Okay?  
  
--Nariko 


	10. Chapter Nine

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Daughters of the Moon or any related things, but I've made up some characters for this.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"It's Catty. The rest of us are here and we have her," Catty spoke into the speaker of the apartment building. A voice okayed her and the door buzzed, letting them know it was unlocked.  
  
They walked up some stairs and down a hall where a small lady was waiting for them by an open door. Although she had silver hair, she seemed very young. She wore a simple, but elegant, dress and the sound of wind chimes sounded from inside the apartment.  
  
"Welcome, my dears," she greeted them all and embraced them. "Come, we have many matters on our mind," and she led them in.  
  
"I'm Maggie. Carmen, you are very lucky. Tu es dea, filia lunae," Maggie said while they were sitting at a table. How did she know her name?  
  
What she said sounded like Latin, but she could only pick up parts of it. "I'm a what? Moon girl?" Carmen questioned.  
  
"You are a goddess. A Daughter of the Moon. Selene, the goddess of the moon, needs help. She needed a Daughter with courage and intelligence, and she picked you. There are already five Daughters," Maggie concluded by looking around the room at the girls.  
  
"We told her about Pandora's box, the Atrox, Followers, and protecting hope," Jimena commented.  
  
"Well then," Maggie thought for a bit and went on. "The other night, you had a dream with Selene coming to you."  
  
The ghostly figure? Carmen nodded.  
  
"When Selene touched you, it was real. She gave you a power. The power of transfiguration. Selene wanted to give you proof she was really there, so she opened your window on her way out."  
  
Carmen was in awe. So the whole dog thing wasn't wishes or some freaky occurrence of nature? "Was she following me through the house, too?"  
  
Maggie frowned. "No. I'm afraid that could've been a Follower, one of our enemies. After they failed to get Tianna, they've been wanting to get you. All of you girls have power. Tianna can move things with her mind, Serena can read minds, Jimena gets premonitions, Catty can travel in time, and Vanessa can become invisible."  
  
That explained how Serena knew her thoughts all the time. She looked up at Serena, who nodded in response.  
  
"This is a very odd situation. Carmen, you are a year younger than them. They will have to go through the transformation at seventeen when they loose their power, but you'll get another year. Perhaps Selene has her reasons." Maggie looked out the window at the moon. "If you have not noticed, the rest of the Daughters have amulets. The amulets warn them and offer some protection. But they are only a symbol of your power."  
  
Carmen hadn't noticed the moon necklaces on them, but before she knew it, Maggie's hand was outreached presenting her with an amulet.  
  
"I believe this is yours."  
  
Carmen took it, the cool metal felt nice against her skin when she clasped it on. She was a goddess. At the thought, she weakly smiled; but she was still had fear and nervousness.  
  
"Girls, I'd like for you to visit but your families must be expecting you. Have a safe trip home." 


	11. Chapter Ten

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Daughters of the Moon or any related things, but I've made up some characters for this.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
All of the girls shoved themselves into the car and buckled up as Jimena started the engine. Jimena gripped the wheel to start to pull out of the parking lot but pulled her hands away and looked back at Carmen.  
  
"Don't go to Planet Bang," she said. Carmen gave an uneasy smile, they were so anxious to bring her there yet she couldn't go back. How ironic.  
  
"Remember, Jimena gets premonitions," Serena pointed out. "You'll have to trust her."  
  
"But what did you see?" Carmen asked. Jimena just bit her lip and grabbed the steering wheel - Carmen knew that if she found out she wouldn't want to know after all.  
  
Catty looked over at her and mumbled, "Sometimes Jimena doesn't like to tell, especially if-" She paused and looked ahead.  
  
"No, really, what?" Carmen did not like that they were leaving her out like this. But Catty just shook her head disappointed.  
  
During the car ride there was an uneasy silence even though music was booming from the speakers. Carmen walked into her house after she was dropped off to find her mom in the living room.  
  
"Dove eravate?" Carmen's mom asked. She spoke less and less Italian nowadays and to hear her speak it made Carmen uneasy. She only spoke it when she got really stressed and barely noticed she wasn't speaking English.  
  
"I was at Planet bang, Mom," Carmen replied.  
  
"Dovreste chiedermi. Le vie non sono sicuri."  
  
Carmen sighed and sat down next to her mother. She, like any teenager would if their mom just said the streets weren't safe, wanted to say the streets were safe enough and not to worry about her. But she couldn't. Inside her heart she always knew that something evil dwelled with the dark of the moon, and now she knew what it was. The very thought of the Atrox made her tremble.  
  
Her mom stroked Carmen's hair and Carmen tilted her head. So badly she wanted to tell her mother exactly what she just found out she was. But she couldn't.  
  
"Mom, niente è mai sicuro più," Carmen replied. "I wish that I could just be little again, when I was a little kid I never seemed to notice all the bad things in the world."  
  
"Me too. But yet another one of my little girls is growing up." Her mother turned over and hugged her; then pulled back after a minute, once again her motherly self. "Up to bed... It's past midnight."  
  
Carmen walked up the narrow stairs of her house to her room. She looked out the open window with a sudden curiosity. The nightlife boomed outside, she felt her lips curl to a dangerous smirk. "I have a power now," Carmen said. Every molecule in her body ached to turn into something, something that would bring her outside.  
  
She gave into the will of her body and the world seemed to grow around her as she became a raven like the one on the building across the street. Her arms became wings and with an odd instinct she was able to work them to her will, she glided outside and over the city.  
  
Something dark stuck out in front of her. It was darker than the night itself. Though it seemed like nothing but a shadow, it zoomed towards her menacingly. It pushed into her and seemed to grab at her, she struggled to get away but to no avail. She looked around as the world spun around her. The ground was getting closer and the dark shadow had a tight grip on her - there was no escape.  
  
She closed her eyes tight. If she died, she didn't want to see what it was like to hit the hard pavement.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Italian to English translations:  
  
"Dove eravate?" = "Where were you?"  
  
"Dovreste chiedermi. Le vie non sono sicuri." = "You should've asked me. The streets aren't safe."  
  
"Niente è mai sicuro più." = "Nothing is ever safe anymore." 


End file.
